In reviewing the earlier patents preparatory considering the inventive aspects of my handcuff design, there have been found a number of patents which disclose a multiple-cuff arrangement and a possible hinged relationship between adjacent cuffs. The patents which I have seen are the following: 1,410,802; 1,823,697; 1,881,948; 1,890,748; and 2,966,787.
E. B. Foster in U.S. Pat. No. 1,410,802 discloses a manacle wherein a collar consisting of substantially circular bar and casing elements hingedly connected to each other involves the use of a lock provided in the casing for securing the free end of the bar element thereto. A pair of handcuffs is provided with means for locking the same and chains are employed which permanently connect the handcuffs to respective collar elements.
C. H. Nenstiehl in U.S. Pat. No. 1,823,697 reveals a multiple cuff arrangement especially suited for use in connection with automobiles which are employed to convey criminals. In the disclosed arrangement, there is a fixed eye member, a chain connected by a spring to the fixed eye member, and a stop bar carried by the chain. The chain is arranged to pass through a wall opening and is limited in its passage by the stop bar. A ring is provided on the chain and handcuffs are arranged on the ring. These handcuffs may be three in number.
D. B. Rayburn in U.S. Pat. No. 1,881,948 discloses an invention relating generally to shackles for prisoners adapted to encircle the waist of a prisoner and provided, with handcuffs to imprison the hands and arms of the prisoner thusly encircled. Specifically, a metallic waist belt having a self-locking girth adjusting means is provided, there being a radially enlarged handcuff mounting at the front portion of the waist belt and a pair of spaced handcuffs connected by swivels to the mounting and having girth adjusting means thereon. The waist belt is made up of a plurality of hingedly connected sections.
G. W. Pratt in U.S. Pat. No. 1,890,748 discloses an improvement in handcuffs whereby a pair of handcuffs is provided with a rigid spacer bar. One of the cuffs is collapsible with a portion of the collapsible cuff forming one portion of a handle, the other portion of the cuff being foldable in a shield forming the other portion of the handle. This arrangement does not show the use of more than two cuffs but is cited by reason of the pivotal connection of adjacent cuffs.
H. A. Tompkins in U.S. Pat. No. 2,966,787 discloses an invention directed to a novel form of a hinged handcuff in which a novel locking assembly serves as both a hinge pin to hold the hinge in operative position, and also to block and lock the individual shackles against undesired manipulation. Specifically, the handcuff of the Tompkins patent comprises a pair of wing sections respectively provided with cooperating aligned knuckles or hinge rings each wing section having an integral bow with an internal arcuate guide recess at one end of the bow; a curve closure shackle having one end pivoted on the outer end of the bow and having its opposite free end shaped as an arcuate section having ratchet teeth on the other edge thereof, such shackle being movable without its pivot to move its arcuate section into and through the arcuate guide recess in the bow. Furthermore, detent means are provided in each wing section adjacent its guide recess with pivot support means being provided for each detent means. A spring is provided to bias a detent means to engage the ratchet teeth of its assocated shackle to permit motion of the shackle in locking direction only. Furthermore, a device is provided to move the detent means to release position to permit release motion of the shackle. A lock is provided having a locking position and a non-locking position and including a cylinder disposed within the hinge rings to serve as a hinge pintle. The lock includes the feature of the cylinder being spring biased to non-locking position and being manually movable to locking position and being operative in this position to lock the detent means against movement.